This month we were exploring and enhancing the possibilities of the LUA scripting engine. Scripts can now querry the positions of beings from the game engine and command them to walk to specific positions. This allows NPCs which walk around controlled by scripts. It is also an important step into the direction of script-controlled monsters.

Davids guild and chat channel system is making slow but steady progress.

I was also experimenting with making combat more tactical and action-oriented by introducing knockback and stunning by attacks. But we are still not sure if this is really an improvement or makes the game too hard to play (especially in high latency situations). So further testing has to be done before we decide if it goes into the game or not.

In the meantime the new development group of the Holy Mana Clan is alpha testing the server and is working on the creation of provisorical monster stats. Thanks to their testing we already addressed some problems. Some were easy to fix, some will require a bit redesign, but there is nothing which is really a big problem.

Windows users who would like to test the new server and client can get precompiled windows binaries from ElvenProgrammers automatic nightly build system: http://nightly.themanaworld.org/

former Manasource Programmer

former TMW Pixel artist

NOT a game master

Please do not send me any inquiries regarding player accounts on TMW.

You might have heard a certain rumor about me. This rumor is completely false. You might also have heard the other rumor about me. This rumor is 100% accurate.